Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Apr 17, 2026 1 hour, 42 minutes ago
Medical News: A new scientific study has uncovered powerful anti-cancer effects from newly engineered compounds derived from natural plant-based molecules, offering fresh hope in the fight against colorectal cancer.
Hybrid molecules from plant-derived compounds show powerful effects against colorectal cancer cells
Plant-Based Chemistry Leads to New Cancer Strategy
Colorectal cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers worldwide, with rising cases even among younger populations. While current treatments such as chemotherapy can slow the disease, they often come with severe side effects and limited precision.In response to these challenges, scientists are increasingly turning to nature for inspiration, and this
Medical News report highlights a breakthrough that could change future treatment strategies.
Researchers from the University of Antioquia (UdeA), Medellín, Colombia, working within the Química de Plantas Colombianas, Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, focused on two naturally derived compounds:
-
Benzofuran, a plant-associated chemical structure found in various bioactive molecules
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Pterostilbene, a natural antioxidant related to resveratrol and found in blueberries and other plants
By chemically combining these two into hybrid molecules, scientists aimed to create a more powerful and stable anti-cancer agent.
Hybrid Molecules Show Strong Tumor-Fighting Effects
The research team successfully synthesized several hybrid compounds and tested them against human colorectal cancer cells.
Two compounds, known as 6d and 6e, showed exceptional activity. They were able to dramatically suppress cancer cell growth, with compound 6e achieving near-total inhibition under laboratory conditions.
These results indicate that combining natural compound frameworks can significantly enhance their anti-cancer potential.
Triggering Cancer Cell Self-Destruction
Further investigation revealed that these hybrid compounds work by activating programmed cell death, a natural process that cancer cells often avoid.
Treated cancer cells showed clear signs of destruction, including:
-Breakdown of the nucleus
-Condensed and damaged DNA
-Loss of cell membrane integrity
The compounds also disrupted mitochondrial function, cutting off the energy supply needed for cancer cell survival.
Selective Action Against Cancer Cells
One of the most important findings was that these compounds appeared to target cancer cells more strongly than normal cells.
This selectivity is critical because it suggests the poten
tial for treatments that kill tumors while minimizing harm to healthy tissue - a major limitation of current chemotherapy drugs.
Blocking Tumor Spread
The study also found that these compounds significantly impaired the ability of cancer cells to move.
In laboratory migration tests, treated cells were unable to “heal” gaps, a sign that their ability to spread or metastasize was being suppressed. This adds another layer of therapeutic potential beyond simply killing cancer cells.
Multi-Target Attack on Cancer Pathways
Computer modeling revealed that the hybrid compounds interact with several key proteins involved in cancer progression, including:
-Mutant p53, which regulates cell death
-CDK4, which controls cell division
-PARP-1, involved in DNA repair
By hitting multiple targets at once, these compounds may be harder for cancer cells to resist.
Promising Drug-Like Properties
In addition to their biological activity, the compounds showed encouraging pharmacological characteristics. They demonstrated:
-Good predicted absorption in the body
-Suitable chemical stability
-No major safety concerns in early modeling
This makes them strong candidates for further development.
Conclusion
The study highlights how natural compounds can serve as powerful building blocks for next-generation cancer therapies. By combining benzofuran and pterostilbene into hybrid molecules, researchers have created compounds that not only kill colorectal cancer cells effectively but also prevent their spread and selectively target malignant tissue. While clinical testing is still needed, these findings represent a meaningful step toward safer, smarter, and more effective cancer treatments inspired directly by nature.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: PLOS One.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0344602
For the latest colon cancer research, keep on logging to Thailand
Medical News.
Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/cancer
https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/herbs-and-phytochemicals
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